Top 12 Tech Companies With Green Initiatives

Top 12 Tech Companies With Green Initiatives

By Dennis McCafferty

Acer

Acer has reduced its user guides from 102 pages to 12, and has decreased its product cardboard box sizes by 60%.

Amazon.com

Constructed and designed with locally sourced woods, energy-efficient lighting and on-campus composting, Amazon's corporate headquarters in Seattle is LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Apple

Apple has developed a renewable micro-hydro project to power a data center, and it's building a solar farm in China to offset energy used in its offices and stores there.

AT&T

AT&T deploys a fleet of more than 8,000 alternative fuel vehicles, including hybrid-electric, all-electric and extended-range electric vehicles.

Brother Industries

Brother has won numerous environmental awards and certifications for, among other efforts, implementing automatic lighting controls and thermal insulation in a distribution center.

Canon

Canon was the first company to recycle toner cartridges, and it has achieved landfill-free recycling since 2003.

Dell

Dell launched its "Plant a Tree" program to encourage customers to offset emissions associated with the use of Dell products by helping to protect and regrow forests.

Epson

Epson has reduced the environmental impact of its products by half, reducing their power requirements and making them smaller and lighter.

HP

The HP Apollo 8000 System is a liquid-cooled supercomputer that's capable of eliminating up to 3,800 tons of carbon dioxide waste from company data centers every year.

IBM

IBM produces intelligent systems that create smart grids and transportation systems designed to help communities better manage energy use and reduce traffic flow and emissions.

Konica Minolta

Konica Minolta Business Solutions installed a solar energy system with nearly 3,500 240-watt solar panels at its Ramsey, N.J., headquarters.

Samsung

Samsung collected nearly 37,000 tons of e-waste and recycled 83% of it into scrap iron, plastic and other valued resources.

Many of the best-known technology companies are leading the way in green initiatives, according to a recent survey from Brand Keys. The brand research consultancy has released a list of the top 50 environmentally friendly organizations ("deemed authentically and resolutely 'green' by their customers"), and we're presenting the top 12 tech companies here. Their efforts cover a wide range of admirable sustainability practices, including ambitious recycling programs and the installation of low-energy systems in data centers. In many cases, they're motivated by cost savings and, of course, a concern for our planet. But there are sales objectives in play here too, as many customers are demanding a commitment to green technology. "As the number of companies trying to co-opt the environmental movement for their brands have grown," explains Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, "so too have the number of skeptical consumers. Most consumers have heard such promises before and—in the face of increased expectations—have begun to demand authenticity. They understand that the technology exists, and more and more consumers feel that all brands need is the will to make it so." More than 36,600 consumers took part in the research. (The following tech companies are listed in alphabetical order, as is the list of 50 brands.)